Celtic were swept aside in dramatic fashion against Borussia Dortmund yesterday evening (Tuesday) as last season's UEFA Champions League finalists triumphed 7-1.
The hosts dominated the Scottish champions from the first whistle to the last, with a Daizen Maeda equaliser inside the opening 10 minutes the only clear point of praise for Brendan Rodgers' side on the night.
This encounter was always going to be challenging given the pedigree of the opposition, but given the fine form the Parkhead outfit have exhibited this season so far – including a 5-1 Champions League victory against Slovan Bratislava on Matchday One – Celtic entered the game brimming with confidence.
Disappointing as the result is, the loss also marks the third time Brendan Rodgers has watched his side concede seven goals in the Champions League, having lost 7-0 against Barcelona in 2016 and 7-1 against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
This also makes him the first and only manager to have conceded seven goals in the competition on more than one occasion, far less three times.
Other teams have conceded more goals in one match – Dinamo Zagreb lost 9-2 against Bayern Munich last month; whereas Basiktas lost 8-0 to Liverpool in 2008, and Malmo to Real Madrid by the same margin in 2015 – but with six games of this season's UCL campaign remaining, the Irishman will naturally be keen to avoid similar deficits moving forward.
Read more:
- Brendan Rodgers' Champions League approach comes under the microscope
- Celtic Player Ratings as no player impresses in Dortmund
Speaking after the Dortmund defeat, Rodgers said: "We're really disappointed with the result and performance-wise. I don't think I have been involved in a game where virtually every mistake we made got punished, that's the level.
"We could have been better with the ball but I think the early goals seemed to spook us a little bit and we didn't play with the same confidence. They were playing at a high level.
"Second half the guys showed great spirit. We had more possession of the ball and took greater risk with the ball and looked to create but ultimately we were beaten by a much better team.
"I was proud of the players in the second half, we kept fighting and kept our spirit up.
"We will be very disappointed with the performance. It's the first time we've had this losing feeling for a long time but you have to learn from it and move on."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel